Garter



E. SPRAGUE, is.

Patented Jam 25, 1921.

EDWARD SPRAGUE, JR., OF OAK PARK, ILLINOTS.

GARTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 25,1921.

Application ledgNovember 15, 1919. Serial No. 338,298'.

To all fio/wm t may conce-rn:

Be it known that I, EDWARD SPRAGUE, Jr., a citizen of the United States, residing 'at Oak Park, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Garters; and l do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention has for its object to provide an extremely simple and highly eiiicient garter of the type for holding half-hose, and, to this end, it consists of the'novel devices and combinations of devices hereinafter described and deiined in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the invention, like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the improved garter as worn on a leg and secured to a half-hose for supporting the same;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the improved garter on an enlarged scale with a portion of the half-hose attached thereto and indicated by broken lines;

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the garter clasp;

Fig 4 is a view in longitudinal section taken on the irregular line 4--4 of Fig. 2 with the half-hose indicated in full and showing the contour of the leg by means of broken lines;

Fig. 5 is a view principally in edge elevation with a portion of the garter clasp sectioned on the line 5 5 of Fig. 3 on an enlarged scale and also showing the contour ot the leg by means of broken lines; and

Fig. 6 isa fragmentary view of the elastic band laid out flat.

The numeral 7 indicates the lower portion of a leg having thereon a shoe 8 and a halfhose 9, said half-hose being supported by the improved garter, which includes only two members, to wit, an elastic band 10, adapted to fit around the leg, and a clasp 11 for connecting the half-hose to the elastic band. y

The band 10 is, as shown, formed from` a piece of elastic webbing having its ends covered by clips 12 to prevent the same from raveling and also to give the elastic band a neaty and finished appearance. In place of making the band 10 troni elastic webbing, a single piece oi rubber band may be used. The clasp 11 is formed from a single piece of material and comprises a stein 13, having on its upper end a relatively wide headV 14, in which are formed two vertically extended parallel slots l5, and having on its lower end an upwardly projecting prong 16 provided with an upwardly diverging crotch 17 and a downwardly projecting prong 18 provided with a downwardly diverging crotch 19. To secure the elastic band 10 to the clasp 11, the ends thereof are inserted in reverse directions through the slots 15, the one outward of the other, and the bending thereof securely holds said ends against slippage the one upon the other. lt will, therefore, be seen that the elastic band 10 may be very quickly and easily adjusted to fit different sized legs, and, when once adj usted, need not be changed. )y thus securing the webbing 1() to the clasp 11, the same may be very easily removed from the clasp 11, .vashed, and again attached thereto, 'or when the webbing wears out, a new piece may be substituted therefor. It is, of course, understood that the slots 15 may be made in varions different lengths so as to hold various different widths of elastic to suit the wearer. .ln removing the half-hose from the foot, the garter need not be detached therefrom but slipped oilE with the half-hose and again put on by inserting the toot therethrough.

To secure a half-hose to the clasp 11i, the same is first drawn snugly around the leg and the slack therein folded and said fold carried back of the prong 16, then forward into the crotch 17, then downwardly and rearwardly int-.o the crotch 19, and then back oil the prong 18, as best shown in Fig. 1. It is important to note that the bottom of the crotch 17 extends vertically below the bot tom of the crotch 19, as clearly indicated by the broken lines Y in Figs. 2 and 3. By thus forming the crotches 17 and 19, the folded portion of the halthose 8, secured therein, is given a relatively short turn which securely holds the same against slippage. The crotches 17 and 19 also hold the half-hose in such a manner as to prevent the saine from tearing or wearing holes therein.

The clasp 11 is made from fairly stiff or rigid material so as to retain its shape and is outwardly bowed so that only its ends bear against the leg, as best shown by Figs. 4 and 5. By referring to Fig. 5, it will be noted that the upper end of the clasp 11 is rounded and the lower end thereof is beveled to eliminate all sharp edges so that the clasp will not hurt the wearer, neither will it wearv the garments with which it bears against. Referring to Fig. 4i, it will be noted that the upper end of` the clasp 1l bears directly against the elastic band l0, and the lower end thereof bears against the halt-hose 8 so that said clasp does not come in direct contact with the leg.

By taking up the slack in the half-hose and securing Vthe same to the clasp 11, thev half-hose is caused to closely t the leg, to give' the same a neat appearance, and, at the same time, it causes the hal-hoseto snugly cling to the leg, which greatly assists in holding the same up. With the half-hose thus held by friction, very little support is required from the clasp 1l, so that there is Yno material clown-pull on the elastic 10 and,

hence, the same need not be very tightly adjusted around the leg.

It is, of course, understood that the clasp may be made from various different materials to suit the tastes of the wearer; for instance, it may be made from gold or silver or other expensive material and sold in jewelry stores without the elastic, and, if desired, initials can be carved thereon.

From the above description, it is evident that the improved garter may be made and placed on the market with very little work for the reason that all sewing and cutting is eliminated and the same, as previously stated, comprises only two parts.

What I claim is 1. A garter clasp including a stem having at one vend two prongs, oneA of which has an upwardly extended crotch and the other of which has a downwardly extended crotchV for receiving and holding a folded portion of a hose, said prongs being located on opposite edges of the stem. Y

2. A garter clasp including a stem having at one end two prongs, one of which has an npwardlyextended crotch and the other of prongs being located on opposite edges of the stem. y

ln testimony whereof l afiix'my signature in presence of two witnesses'. Y

EDWARD SPRAGUE, JR. Witnesses:

WINrrRnD I. `WARD, VHARRY D. VlKIriGonn. 

